Category Archives: Carolina Hurricanes

Eddie Lack has worn some amazing equipment throughout his career, but it’s hard to say if any of his gear has looked as clean or as crisp as his brand new set for his 2015-16 campaign with the Carolina Hurricanes.

In a photo posted by Lack to his Instagram page – which he runs under his nickname, EddieTheStork – he showed off the new gear. The pads feature the Hurricanes logo split across the left and right pad, which is something Lack has previously done while playing for the Vancouver Canucks and for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves. Read more

NBC Sports’ Jason Brough notesDaniel and Henrik Sedin were recently asked by a Swedish newspaper if they felt they might be traded. The twins replied they had no intention of finishing their NHL careers with another team, even if it meant another shot at a Stanley Cup.

Brough observes, however, the Sedins didn’t outright reject the notion of waiving their no-movement clauses by the final season (2017-18) of their contracts. Should the Canucks miss the 2016 playoffs or become a first-round casualty again, Brough suspects calls for a major rebuild in Vancouver could increase.

Such a rebuild would mean shipping out the Sedins. Their no-movement clauses, however, aren’t the only impediment. It’s no stretch of the imagination to assume the twins will only accept a deal in which they’re moved together to the same team. With both earning $7-million per season, takers for their combined $14-million annual salaries could be scarce. That especially if the salary cap doesn’t significantly increase for 2016-17. Read more

The Montreal Canadiens have signed left winger Alexander Semin to a one-year contract for the very reasonable sum of $1.1 million. But that won’t cover up the most obvious hole in the franchise’s Stanley Cup plans.

Welcome to my new mailbag, a spot where I will answers questions from readers who reached out to me on Twitter using the hashtag #thnfutures. The idea behind this space is to bring you info on prospects and the draft, so anything in that world is game. There was a pretty good crop of questions right off the bat, so if you don’t see yours answered this week, check back next Friday. Here we go:

The Edmonton Oilers avoided arbitration with Justin Schultz Wednesday by inking the 25-year-old blueliner to a one-year, $3.9 million deal. But the arbitration wasn’t Schultz’s choice. Rather, it was the Oilers who wanted to plead their case for a lower cost on Schultz’s contract.

However, by opting for team-elected arbitration – which, as mentioned, has now been avoided with the one-year contract – Edmonton was essentially giving Schultz an ultimatum: if he wants to keep his spot in the Oilers lineup for what he believes to be fair value, he’s going to have to prove that he’s worth it. Thus, the one-year deal.

Schultz isn’t the only restricted free agent signed to a one-year contract and he’s not the only player who can, as Mike Babcock put it with regards to Nazem Kadri, “put the screws,” to his club. On the flip side, though, one bad year could see some franchises giving up on their young guns.

Here are 10 players who could have make-or-break seasons in 2014-15: Read more

In recent weeks, there’s been little word regarding the status of Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal and goaltender Cam Ward. Both have a year remaining on their respective contracts and are eligible next summer for unrestricted free agency.

Of the pair, Staal is the most important and expensive. The 30-year-old center is still considered their franchise player and earns an average cap hit of $8.25-million, though in real salary he’ll be drawing $9.5 million for 2015-16. ESPN.com’s Scott Burnside wonders what dollar figures will work best for both sides. If unable to reach an agreement, Burnside suggests GM Ron Francis could be forced to part with Staal.

Appearing on TSN’s That’s Hockey, Gary Lawless of the Winnipeg Free Press said he believes Staal has been in a funk for several years, largely because of the Hurricanes’ lack of talent. Lawless feels he needs to move on, believing the Hurricanes could get a top-line player, top prospect and a high pick in return. Read more

Jack Eichel won’t be the only NCAA star making the leap to the NHL next season, as the Carolina Hurricanes announced they have signed defenseman Noah Hanifin, the fifth overall selection in the 2015 draft, to an entry-level contract.

“Noah has had a great week here during our prospect development camp,” said GM Ron Francis. “He is big, he can skate and he can move the puck. Noah fits the mold for the type of player and person we want in a Hurricanes uniform.”

By signing the three-year deal with Carolina, Hanifin forgoes his final three years of NCAA eligibility to head to the NHL. Read more

Whatever the reason might be, in his draft year, 5-foot-8, 165-pound Sergey Tolchinksy went undrafted. The Carolina Hurricanes, however, saw something in the undrafted Tolchinsky, brought him to training camp and inked him to a three-year entry-level contract.

As of Wednesday’s Hurricanes prospect camp, we might have an idea what exactly Carolina’s staff saw in the now-20-year-old Tolchinsky: his ability to score absolutely jaw-dropping goals.

During Wednesday’s camp, Tolchinsky scored one of the most awe-inspiring, full-speed breakaway goals you’ll see all season and the off-season has only just begun. Tolchinsky picked up the puck and, with winger Erik Karlsson giving chase, he pivoted backwards, put the puck between his legs and buried the puck past the goaltender. It’s a thing of beauty: Read more